Safe Harbour
by MeaningToWrite
Summary: Every starship needs a safe harbour to return to. The Enterprise is no different and her soul, James T. Kirk is threatened. When a captain has his crew, heart and mind betray him, he must hurry to find his place to return to while battling an Eugenics mastermind hell bent on destroying them all. K/S, S/U and future K/SP.
1. Chapter 1: The Blood that Binds

**Safe Harbour**

He was running. In this place there was no light. There was no path to follow and even the air seemed to have vanished. He ran through nothing, feet making no noise. Every emotion had vanished except the sinking feeling that if he turned back, he would miss it.

He heard phantom voices spurring him on, a whisper even to his imagination. The dread within began to ebb away as urgency took preference. There seemed to be a shimmer ahead, a doorway to a better nothing. He ran, his lungs screaming in protest and his eyes stinging from unknown winds. Slowly colours began to bleed into his vision, the world springing to life in a whirl of reds and blues. The shades converged, painting a landscape of a desert, barren and boiling.

Suddenly he tried stopping but his moment threw him to the ground. He grunted as blood began to see from the scrapes over his knuckles. The sand choked him while blurring his vision. Something moved ahead of him. As his vision sharpened, he realised the figure walking towards him radiated a bright white light. He began running again when a loud crack shoved him forward. The ground beneath him began to crumble even as he pushed every muscle fibre in his body. The figure was within reach but the ground was not. A thunderous noise split the ground in two. As he fell into the nothing, he saw the figure dart forward, its outstretched hand a lost salvation as the darkness leached his vision once again.

James Tiberius Kirk shot up in bed, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness. He slumped back down, willing his heart to calm down. The dream felt too real to be a product of a sleeping mind. He rolled onto his side. He vaguely registered the bed emptied of its other occupant. He slid his hand over the sheets, any previous heat in them lost long ago. Spock must have some experiment to tend to, he thought. He blinked, trying to rid himself of the last vestiges of sleep. Slowly the sounds of a sleeping starship filtered through his room.

"Lights to 15 percent," he whispered. In the dim glow, Jim allowed himself to think about the dream. As he retraced his actions, it slipped from his mind. All he could remember was the panic of not reaching the mysterious figure in time. His brow furrowed as he thought about the stranger.

They seemed too tall to be female but their coat seemed vaguely familiar. Jim suddenly remembered the hand that reached for him. He settled, willing his mind to shut down. "Come on Jim. It was only a dream and Spock will kick your ass if you fall asleep in the chair again." He ignored the voice in his head, quipping that if Spock cared about him resting, the Vulcan would still be in his bed.

As he was about to tip into sleep, he was startled by wetness on his sheets.

"Lights to 60 percent." Jim's' eyes widened as the smear became clearer. The blood stood out starkly on the white material. He wiped his eyes, as if to erase the image when the wetness rubbed onto his face. Slowly he lowered his hand.

Oozing sluggishly from his right hand, he had found the injury. His knuckles were bleeding.

Thousands of kilometres away, ambassador Selek gazed at the life of New Vulcan from his balcony. A large sprawling building lay at its centre, a testament to the logic and value of science. Despite the hardships, the colony had exceeded expectations after the Nero incident. They had managed to build an already impressive city. His house had been built on the higher planes, his position giving him a bit of an advantage. As he turned, the desert greeted him. The scene was not unlike his original planet. Had he been more human, he may have sighed.

No matter what, this world was still not his own. A flash of gold caught his eye and he surveyed the sand more intensely. Whatever had caused it had vanished. Another wave of nostalgia lapped against the barriers in his mind as the gold reminded him of his past.

Though this world shared the same lives, the people who lived them were not so. A prime example would be his former captain, James Kirk. In any world, James was a dedicated leader and fearless protector. In this time, James seemed even fiercer, a sharp contrast to his stoic counterpart.

A gentle tug at the back of his mind made Selek pause mid-thought. Blue eyes flashed in his mind, as he remembered the meld on Delta Vega. It was not the first time that his mind had met a Kirks' however something was different. When Selek melded with his Jim, even if only for information exchange, he had been greeted by friendship.

This time had been different. While showing his memories, Selek felt the undeniable urge to wrap his entire being around Jim's'. The younger had sent out golden tendrils, latching onto every available emotion and soaking it with warmth. Even when the meld ended, he felt a little of the warmth settle in his mind.

He had been surprised to find that the young captains' mind embraced his as freely, when he had discovered Jim and his counterpart to be in an intimate relationship. He himself had never wanted such a bond with his captain but thinking back to the glow of the mind meld, he could see how it could happen in this life.

"Ambassador Selek, your mind is troubled." He had been so enraptured with his thoughts, that he had missed his father's footfalls. Selek looked to the side to see Sarek gazing at him, a hint of curiosity glimmering faintly. Despite the joy at seeing his father, Selek knew that they were too different to truly connect.

He opened his mouth to answer when Sarek fixed him with an even sharper gaze.

"Spock." Whatever reply Spock had thought of died at the sound of his name. The last person to call him that had been the very man occupying his thoughts. Sarek seemed oblivious to his inner turmoil as he stepped closer. "Why have you not tended to you injury?"

Spock raised his eyebrow at the question. "I see no reason to do so as I am clearly uninjured."

He was sure that his father was about to sigh when Sarek turned away. "Your hand speaks of another story. I shall prepare tea while you tend to it."

The ambassador watched as his father continued walking, tempted to question the man's sanity. Sarek was a mysterious Vulcan and regardless of the world, Spock always had some difficulty understanding his mannerisms. It was as if there was always something Sarek left unsaid. He was shaken from his musings when he felt something drip down his fingers and onto his robe.

Spock had not undertaken any physical duties and had not venture out to explore the desert again. Also, despite his human half and advanced age, his skin could withstand many hits before breaking and bleeding. For these reasons, he visibly frowned as he turned to enter his dwelling. For seemingly no logical cause, his knuckles were bleeding.


	2. Chapter 2: The Flames which Forge

Safe Harbour

It was dark. He could not tell whether the sun had died or he had lost his sight. He turned slowly the air around him seemed tangible as though liquid instead of gas. As he reached out, the atmosphere shimmered in a whirl of disturbed colours. Every time his moved his hand, more colours appeared, as though hidden behind a black fog.

He suddenly turned and sprinted, breaking through the fog and plunged headfirst into a land of colours he had never seen before. A shade much like silver swirled around him. They spun faster, moving closer until the threads finally attached to his being, illuminating his shape.

Slowly he became aware of golden threads intertwining with his. They hovered, not latching onto making contact with his skin, but instead tugging him forward. He looked ahead and saw another figure, enrobed in gold. He stretched his hands when a rush of red swarmed between them, burning his hands and blinding his eyes. The heat forced him back and he fell, his arms burning as he grabbed onto the threads. The red wave surged towards him when suddenly the gold overtook it, and his silver raced to meet it. His world burst into white light as they converged, blinding all of his senses.

His eyes snapped open as Selek snapped from his meditative state. He took deep breathes as he tried to remember what had happened.

The air hung heavy with the scent of incense and the candles flickered all around him. Selek noticed the slight drop in the temperature. He stood slowly, killing the candles. The green flecks over his hand made him pause. Even with a dermal regenerator, the light wounds refused to heal. The rate at which they disappeared was almost human but that was illogical. His healing had never before been slowed by his part human DNA.

Selek lifted his hand to examine it for the umpteenth time. His eyes widened in something akin to shock as his sleeve slipped down. Raw green burn marks laced his arm in an intricate pattern, dancing against his pale skin. Almost as soon as he saw them, he felt a stinging in his left arm. The same marks were revealed as he lifted up the opposite sleeve.

"Ambassador Selek," called a voice from the hallway.

Selek let his sleeves fall down again. He strode from the room, reinforcing his mental barriers to keep the troubled frown from his face.

T'Pau stood in his living area, expression closed off. She turned as he entered the room and raised the Ta'al in greeting. The elder returned it before moving to sit on the chaise lounge.

"The Enterprise is en route to New Vulcan for their shore leave. After this, they will escort us to the Federation ceremony, announcing the Genesis Project." He saw the hidden question behind her words.

"It shall be of no consequence for me to attend as they are aware of our situation," he explained briefly. "Also, it would be illogical to attempt hiding from them as I am the creator of the Genesis project. Those in attendance will need my guidance. Many believe that complexity such as male pregnancy cannot yet be accomplished."

She nodded lightly, looking directly at him. Her tone remained even as she said, "A logical conclusion especially in light of our recent losses. Captain Kirk has also expressed his wishes on the matter and looks forward to the meet. Starfleet has confirmed that he will be one of the members to participate in the procedure."

Selek felt an indescribable warmth flood his mind at the prospect of seeing the young captain. He shook it off, remembering his counterpart. He would not give into his human desires, no matter how much he had embraced his human half. Now that Jim made plans to be able to become pregnant, the seriousness of their involvement drove home. Still, faint longings lounged in the corners of his mind at the thought of Jim with a swollen abdomen. As he and T'Pau continued discussing the reports of city developments, he raised the shields in his mind at maximum. Soon the warmth ebbed away, leaving a faint shimmer in its place.

They returned viciously with the very real pain lacing his arms. No matter how much he repressed his feelings, Selek could not deny the facts. His arms were still laced with burns.

Silence reigned over the bridge as Jim sighed. A ping from his PADD made him sigh once more. Despite the perks of commanding a ship like The Enterprise, she came with a lot of press work.

Countless times he had fielded questions, interviewers wanting to know step for step what their adventures entailed. Thankfully, having a Vulcan boyfriend had rubbed off on him. He replied ambiguously, instead of saying, "Sometimes we find really cool rocks. Then I send some people to look at them and we end up fighting for our lives against gigantic plants. I land up in sickbay with the worst injuries and have Bones hypospray me until I manage to escape."

(Surprisingly, this version was not far off from the truth.)

A twinge brought his attention back. His right hand remained tender to touch, the scrapes slowly scabbing over. He could have gone to McCoy but he knew his friend would have questions for Jim had no answers to give.

Raising his hand to take a closer look at it, he frowned. No matter how much he thought about it, he could not place where he injured himself.

Movement behind him made him promptly drop his hand.

"Captain, we have received- you are injured." Spock looked at the offending hand, as Kirk rolled his eyes yet again. His eyes stung slightly at the cold manner in which Spock referred to him, as though they had not been sleeping together for the past 9 months.

"I'm fine Spock. It's a little scratch, practically healed already." Jim swivelled his chair slightly to look at his first officer. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Spock's eyes lingered before snapping to meet startling blue ones. He straightened. "We have received a transmission confirming our orders. We are to stop at New Vulcan for approximately 19.6 days to restock the Enterprise. We are then to accompany them to starbase 2 for the conference."

Trust Spock to call shore leave a stock-take, thought Jim. He quickly calculated the course and time.

"Mr Chekov, ETA on New Vulcan."

The prodigal navigators' fingers flew over his screen. "2 days and sewenteen hours kaptein," he answered already knowing his captains thoughts. Chekov looked over to Sulu, a grin matching his on the others face.

"Sir if we go to warp factor 3, we could decrease our flight by a day and have that extra day time to recover," suggested the Asian. Sulu and Chekov turned simultaneously to give Jim their best puppy eyes.

Jim was sure his eyes would be permanently damaged if he rolled them again. Deep down, he knew why they were eager to stay as long as possible. The Genesis Project was a remarkable if not unheard of leap in technology. Since their involvement with rescuing the inhabitants of Vulcan, they were offered to have their procedures done first. Though no one intended on having children soon, even Jim could not say no to the chance of a lifetime. He had a sneaking suspicion that a certain time-travelling Vulcan had something to do with it though.

He settled back in his chair. "Mr Sulu, take us to warp 3."

"Aye aye captain," replied Sulu with a grin as he increased their speed.

Kirk looked back to ask Spock a question when he realised the Vulcan had already returned to his station. Jim frowned at the stiff lines of Spock's back. He wanted to go to him when he realised he was not the only one observing the science officer.

Lt. Uhura was an intelligent woman and yet for all of her skill, she could not keep the sheer adoration out of her eyes as she gazed at her ex-boyfriend. Jim knew that she still held a candle in hopes of rekindling what they once had. Spock had assured him that he harboured no romantic feelings for the communications officer. Jim believed him but as he watched the tension seep from his boyfriend as Nyota engaged him in conversation, doubt settled in his heart.

He shook it off. Cheating was illogical and Spock hated illogical ventures. You're one to speak about illogical things, he chided himself. Spock loved him, had been the first to profess his feelings. There was nothing to worry about. He caught Uhura's eye for a second and watched as they hardened to shards of glass. The doubt returned with a vengeance and he watched in satisfaction as she quickly turned around, the ice in his heart outmatching hers. Still, she was an incredibly smart woman and that was one of the reasons why he had not deigned to tell any of the crew about his plan to go through the Genesis surgery. Of course Bones knew, but he had made him swear not to tell on pain off humiliating stories of an Andorian girl-not-quite who had touched McCoy where no one else had.

A faint wisp of silver caught his eye. He turned to the screen and watched as silver swam with the blue of warp. It could not be an ion fluctuation but he leaned forward to take a closer look.

"Shit!" he exclaimed as he felt his arms burning. He jumped from his seat, speeding towards the turbolift. He ignored everyone's eyes on him. "Mr Spock, you have the conn."

As the doors shut behind him, he vaguely registered the fact that Spock was not coming after him. The doors pinged open. Instead of heading to sickbay, he turned off and nearly ran to his quarters. Jim quickly locked behind him, saying the Captains' override in case his first officer decided to get his head out of his ass.

Jim plonked down on his bed, carefully pulling up his sleeves. He winced as they snagged on the fresh red burns.

They looked like rope burns but on closer inspection, Jim noticed that the lines were too fine. They laced up his armed but where they originated troubled him. If he didn't know any better, he would think they came from inside of him.

"Be careful Jim. This shit is... You're dangerously close to being compromised," muttered Jim, pulling his shirt over his head and chucking it somewhere. Jim stood slowly and made his way to his drawers. After too many injuries, he decided to ready his own kit to patch himself up when Bones became overbearing. He winced at the feeling of a phantom hypospray.

Taking out the burn treatment and a few rolls of bandage, he set to work fixing him up. By the time he finished, Jim realised that his shift was over and Spock had yet to arrive in their quarters. He looked at his communicator, tempted to call McCoy but he turned away.

If Bones knew what was happening, he would pull out all the stops to make sure Jim could not set foot on New Vulcan. Jim would never be able to be a member of Genesis.

Jim gasped and staggered upright as a feeling of overwhelming dread slammed into him. He knelt on the floor, curling over and controlling his breathing as best he could. For a second, he could have sworn those feelings were not his own. Somehow, whatever was happening to him had something to do with the planet they were headed for. He just knew it.

He needed to find the reason behind this. There needed to be some reason behind this because no matter how many ways he looked at it, his arms were still laced with burns.


End file.
